The role of the Guide in a Learning Flow

This is the fourth in a series of blog posts about the Learning Flow. In the first post I discussed the concept of a Learning Flow – as a continuous steady stream of social micro-learning activities, in the second I talked about the user experience and in the third I considered three types of Learning Flow. Today I want to look at the role of the Guide in a Learning Flow.

“From sage on the stage to guide on the side.”

This is a well-known phrase that recommends that in the 21st century a teacher should move from delivery (instructor mode) to supporting learning. Using the analogy from my second post, the role of the Guide in a Learning Flow is therefore someone who steers participants on their daily journey through the fast-flowing stream of learning. This requires a number of skills.

S/he needs to be a knowledgeable expert in the relevant domain.

S/he needs to be a curator – but more than a curator.

S/he needs to able to pick out key resources and materials from the mass of material shared online. In other words s/he needs to be able to extract the “signal from the noise”.

S/he needs to be able to “join the dots” between resources – and show how one relates to the other.

S/he needs to be able to contextualize resources and make them relevant to the participants – drawing out the salient point(s) of the resources s/he shares.